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House Velaryon (The Broken King)
House Velaryon is an ancient and proud house, with the blood of old Valyria in its veins. House Velaryon was a closely allied family to House Targaryen in Valyria. Velaryons, like the Targaryens, often have the Valyrian features of silver hair and purple eyes. The Velaryons traveled to Westeros before the Targaryens, having settled on the island of Driftmark, and they claim that they received the Driftwood Throne from the Merling King to conclude a pact. The Velaryons filled their coffers by gaining monopoly over the passing trade and Velaryon ships dominated the middle reaches of the narrow sea while their allies, the Targaryens, ruled the skies with their dragons. The House continued to maintain close ties with the Targaryens after the Doom of Valyria, as evidenced by the marriage of Aerion Targaryen and Valaena Velaryon, the parents of Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys. When Aegon and his sisters began their Wars of Conquest, Driftmark men followed, and the lord of the house, Daemon Velaryon, became Aegon's master of ships. The first ever Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was Ser Corlys Velaryon. Lord Corlys "The Sea Snake" Velaryon Corlys was named after Ser Corlys Velaryon, the first Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Corlys once sailed his Ice Wolf beyond the Wall, but was unsuccessful in find a northerly route around Westeros. He then sailed aboard his Sea Snake on multiple voyages to Essos, accumulating wealth from visits to Qarth, Yi Ti, and Leng. Corlys was the first Westerosi to visit Nefer in N'Ghai and to navigate theThousand Islands. During his last travel, Corlys filled the Sea Snake's hold with gold and bought twenty more ships at Qarth, loading them with spices, elephants, and silk. Corlys took his nickname from his famous ship, the expeditions of which are described in MaesterMathis's The Nine Voyages. Corlys became head of House Velaryon after the death of his grandsire. Richer than Lords Lannister or Hightower through his expeditions, Corlys used his great wealth to construct a new seat, High Tide, where he stored his eastern treasures. Lord Corlys and his fleets fought alongside Prince Daemon Targaryen during the War for the Stepstones. When Daemon declared himself the King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, Corlys placed the crown on the new king's head. The children of Corlys and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen both died in 120 AC, Laena Velaryon from childbed fever and Ser Laenor Velaryon from a quarrel with Ser Qarl Correy. Lord Corlys was arrested by Lord Stark in what became known as the Hour of the Wolf. He was later freed thanks to an edict of King Aegon III Targaryen that Baela and Rhaena Targaryen persuaded him to issue. Black Aly Blackwood agreed to marry Lord Stark if he honored the edict, which he did. Thus Corlys was freed and served as one of regents of young Aegon III. After the resignation of Cregan Stark as hand of the King and Master of Coin, Kermit Tully and Corlys Velaryon discussed a succesor. They came to an agreement to appoint Lord Celtigar as the new Master of Coin and Kermit Tully would succeed as the new Hand of the King, shortly after the Sea Snake was gravely ill from the Bloody Flux, however he recovered from it. He did not have the luck a second time, he returned from King's Landing to High Tide to solve some issues back there, but he was struck down by the Grey Plague days later. His grandson, Alyn "the Oakenfist" succeeded him. Lord Paramount Alyn "the Oakenfist" Velaryon Shortly after Corlys' passing and funeral, he took up his position as Lord of Driftmark, Lord of the Tides and Chief General of the Iron Throne. During the Dance of Dragons Alyn tried to tame Sheepstealer, entering his lair. The dragon set fire to his cloak. His brother Addam used his own cloak to beat out the flames while his dragon Seasmoke drove off Sheepstealer. After his failed attempt to tame the dragon Sheepstealer, Alyn carried scars from the dragon's flame on his back and legs for the rest of his life. He never attempted to tame another dragon. Ser Addam attacked Tumbleton at night, taking the greens completely unawares. As chaos ensued Addam could see the battle turning into a rout below him. By this time, two of the enemy dragonriders, Hugh Hammer and Prince Daeron the Daring, were dead; although Addam could not have known that, he could see Vermithor, Silverwing and Tessarion. The riderless Tessarion took flight and Addam turned his dragon to meet her. Both being young dragons they moved fast and nimbly as they fought. The fight ended when the riderless, enraged Vermithor rose into the sky and set about indiscriminately killing those on the ground. As the Bronze Fury wreaked carnage, Seasmoke fell upon him, driving him shrieking into the mud. According to Archmaester Gyldayn, Addam must have felt duty bound to protect his men on the ground, though surely he knew in his heart Seasmoke could not match the older dragon. The riderless Blue Queen soon joined the fray and all three dragons fought to the death on the ground amidst mud and blood and smoke. The accused turncloak Addam Velaryon had managed to save King’s Landing from the queen’s foes at the cost of his own life, In 138 AC, the bones of Addam were returned to Driftmark from Raventree Hall. His brother, Lord Alyn, put only the word "LOYAL" as the tomb's epitaph. He inherited a fortune from the Sea Snake, he invested it carefully into upgrading High Tide and making sure that his navy would still control the Narrow Sea and the trade going trough it, trough this he has grown a dislike to Pirates and Ironborn, but also earned his nickname, "the Oakenfist" from his many battles there. He commanded his fleet from the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon's famous ship from which he took his nickname. He became good friends with Lord Celtigar and even married one of his kin to the widowed lord (his wife had been murdered), he married one of his nieces to the heir of Lord Celtigar and helped him secure his rule over the Clawmen. His loyalty to the crown was fiercly shown, King Aegon left the ruling to Kermit Tully, however the Oakenfist was always around the corner to take part of the politics, which Kermit Tully did not seem to mind. Lord Greyjoy murdered a girl from Myr infront of the King, Alyn was the first one to call him a murderer and called for a punishment for this crime, Kermit Tully agreed to that and had Lord Greyjoy imprisoned, however he tried to escape and was beheaded by the King himself, it was just the start of trouble. Lord Baratheon tried to attack House Thorne, it was the Oakenfist and Kermit Tully that stopped him from progressing, going as far as threatening to burn down Storm's End with dragons if he dared to raise a single sword. Lord Baratheon asked this several times, hoping that the Oakenfist wouldn't be around when he asked, he however was constantly denied this right. Lord Baratheon however found his death rather early, after the murder of his wife, the sister of the Prince of Dorne, Lord Alyn and Kermit Tully ordered Lord Baratheon to come to King's Landing for his crimes, he first refused but then eventually showed up. He demanded a trial by combat but was denied, because there was no innocence to be proven. He was guilty in the eyes of Gods and men and was shortly after executed. Weeks after his execution, his heir, Lady Arryn and Lord Tyrell demanded that the King would step down and abdicate to his 4 year old daughter, he refused and starting a shortliving civil war. Even though his numbers were lacking, Alyn sent 200 ships, 5000 men and two dragons to support the King, his wife, Lady Baela Targaryen, riding Morning and his niece, Lady Maele Velaryon, riding Silverwing(The oldest dragon alive). After carefully moving, the deciding battle would be in Attadale. The Crown's forces completly outnumbered the rebels (due to the fact that the Arryns lost their entire force in Lord Harroway's Town after Kermit Tully charged their ranks and broke the army) and they were completly defeated. Lord Tyrell was executed and Lady Arryn had to surrender Wickenden to Kermit Tully. Lord Baratheon was stripped of the Stormlands. The King proclaimed that the most loyal vassal of the crown would receive the Stormlands. The Oakenfist was appointed as the new Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. Troughout the rest of his reign there was barely anything of note done by the Oakenfist, he would be most of the time in King's Landing, training the men there. However, when his wife passed of an illness, the Oakenfist became a drunkard... and he drank a lot. One time he entered the Throne Room, singing and asking for more wine, the King had him fired from the council, in which he returned to Driftmark. Lord Baratheon saw his oppertunity there to reclaim the Stormlands and attacked together with the Tyrells, however he was quickly defeated by the web of allies the Oakenfist had set up in the years. The Baratheons were slaughtered (A few are still around) and Storm's End felt his dragon's power as he burned the garrison. The Lady of the Reach saw herself get deposed and replaced by a Tully and lost all her lands. Shortly after, the Oakenfist died. Lord Laenor "the Defiant" Velaryon When the Oakenfist died in 156 AC, Laenor rose as Lord of the Tides, Lord of Driftmark and Lord of the Stormlands. After he had the old council of his father fired and replaced Laenor decided to a tame the dragon which he had hatched years before, he was succesful in this and became just like his mother a dragonrider. The young lord was eager to prove himself and was shortly after appointed to the King's council as Chief General, he did this for several years until he defied the King. The King was asking the council for their opinion about appointing Lord Lannister as court jester, which Laenor protested against, as did Lord Tully. However the King dismissed his council and pressed it forward. It has been said that Laenor called Aegon not a King, but a tyrant, amongst other things. He mounted his dragon and flew back to Driftmark to organise his forces. He sent out his fleet to blockade King's Landing from getting any ships through, his fleet was shortly after reinforced by a small navy from Lord Marbrand whom had hired some mercenaries. Lord Thaddeus Tully was sent by the King to order Laenor's arrest, however he could see the Velaryon blockade and also three dragons flying above the blockade of which one was Silverwing, one of the oldest dragons alive. The demands of the King were that the blockade would be lifted and Laenor would travel to King's Landing for judgement. He refused and told Lord Tully that walking in King's Landing would mean his death, he offered the King to meet above the Blackwater, dragonrider to dragonrider. The King however refused and still ordered his arrest, both Lord Tullys refused and were imprisoned by the King for it. However the King was growing old and his memory was slowly failing him and had both Lords released shortly after (He most likely forgot the reason why they were imprisoned) and a few years later, he became truly a broken King, completly unable to rule. Daenys Targaryen, Aegon's eldest daughter and heir, ruled the realm in her father's name, together with Lord Thaddeus Tully, the hand of the King. Lord Laenor however still had his blockade up and kept it until words reached him that Aegon had passed in his sleep, after that he flew back home and lifted the blockade. The Queen officially pardoned Lord Laenor and wanted to appoint him as the new hand of the king after Lord Tully's passing, however Lord Laenor had been ill for several days and he died shortly after in 180 AC, having ruled the Stormlands for 24 years. His actions earned him the nickname, the Defiant. Lord Corlys Velaryon After Laenor's death in 180AC his eldest son, Corlys, became the Lord of the Stormlands, Lord of the Tides and Lord of Driftmark, however he was only 12 years old and most of the power was held by his council. The council sent him to King's Landing to be learned how to rule by the Queen. After he turned 14 in 182 AC, he decided to tame his dragon that he had hatched and was succesful in it, becoming a dragonrider like his father.